Illinois residents may have heard that actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced for her role in the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scam. However, a second parent has also been convicted for paying an individual $250,000 to help get his son into college as a water polo recruit. The 53-year-old businessman was sentenced to four months in jail in addition to a $95,000 fine and 500 hours of community service.
In court, the man said that his actions were unacceptable and the opposite of doing what was best for his son. The judge, however, said that the man’s actions were more about his own status as opposed to doing what was best for his child. She decided to sentence him to time in prison because of a perceived lack of remorse. The man did place at least some of the blame on the individual he paid to help get his son into USC.
In March, that individual entered a guilty plea to charges of racketeering and money laundering conspiracy in addition to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. He also chose to plead guilty to a charge of obstruction of justice. He will be sentenced at a later date. Felicity Huffman and the other individual who was recently sentenced are among 50 who have been charged in connection with the Operation Varsity Blues scheme.
An individual who is charged with a federal felony has the right to legal counsel. An attorney may be able to argue that an individual had no intent to break the law, which may enable a defendant to obtain a lenient sentence. This may mean that the defendant is sentenced to community service or probation instead of jail time.
